The soft tissues in the body, such as the muscles, ligaments, skin, and tendons, can sustain serious trauma during an accident. Soft tissue injuries can result in severe pain, swelling, bruising, and other physical symptoms. If you sustained a soft tissue injury due to another person’s negligence, you may be eligible for financial compensation. Our Bakersfield catastrophic injury attorneys can help you explore your legal options in greater detail if you’ve suffered a soft tissue injury.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries
There are two main types of soft tissue injuries: acute traumatic injuries and overuse injuries. Acute traumatic injuries come on suddenly and often occur due to an accident, such as a motor vehicle collision or a slip and fall. Overuse injuries occur slowly and develop over time.
Specific types of soft tissue injuries include the following.
- Open soft tissue injuries: Lacerations, avulsions, and abrasions are acute traumatic injuries that involve open wounds. These injuries often result in a loss of blood and may leave permanent scars. Open soft tissue injuries can be very painful and require lengthy recovery times.
- Contusions: This type of soft tissue injury does not involve open wounds but does occur due to acute trauma. Blunt force usually causes a contusion, leading to pain, swelling, discoloration, and bleeding under the skin at the injury site.
- Sprains: A sprain occurs when a ligament is partially torn, usually in the knees, ankles, and wrists. This type of soft tissue injury also occurs due to acute trauma and may take weeks to heal.
- Strains: This injury often occurs due to overuse, force, or stretching. Strains typically involve the muscles or the tendons and can severely limit mobility during the recovery period.
- Tendonitis: This overuse injury occurs when the tendons, bands of tissue that connects muscle to bones, become inflamed. It often affects the elbows, hands, shoulders, hips, knees, and other joints.
- Whiplash: This condition is a soft tissue injury that often occurs during a car accident. Whiplash occurs when the neck suddenly moves back and forth in a forceful, unnatural way. As a result, the muscles and tendons in the neck and upper back tear and twist, leading to serious pain.
Signs and Symptoms of a Soft Tissue Injury
A soft tissue injury may not be apparent at first, even after an instance of acute trauma. The signs of the condition may begin slowly and worsen over time. Common symptoms of a soft tissue injury include the following.
- Pain
- Swelling
- Visible bruising
- Bleeding
- Muscle weakness
- A limited range of motion
- Joint instability
- An inability to carry heavy weight
- Muscle cramping or spasms
- A lump or knot at the injury site
Legal Options After a Soft Tissue Injury
Many incidents can lead to a soft tissue injury. For example, you may sustain whiplash when another vehicle collides into the back of your car. You may slip on a puddle of water at the grocery store and sustain a contusion on your tailbone. These injuries can be very painful, requiring medical care and weeks of recovery time.
If you sustained a soft tissue injury due to another person’s negligence, you may qualify for an insurance claim or lawsuit. Through your claim, you can recover compensation for the medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages you sustained due to the soft tissue injury. To determine whether you are eligible for legal action, speak to a Bakersfield premises liability attorney as soon as possible.